A large number of medical terms contain this suffix; for a selection The suffix is active in the language, well enough known outside its medical context that it is sometimes used facetiously, as in parentectomy, cutting off contact with one's parents, or humorectomy, of a supposed operation that has removed somebody's sense of humour. See also -stomy and -tomy.

Examples of words in -ectomyWord origins are from Greek unless otherwise stated.